Rechecking My Sanity

sure! I would love to see it.

@deadrotloop - Perfect! It's super long though! When Starting to Spiral 1. Recognize I am spiraling and having intrusive thoughts 2. Label though or action as a compulsion (example: the action of washing hands, the thought of mentally checking if I did anything immoral that would align with intrusive thought) 3. Set a small timer to stop doing the compulsion (example: don’t wash hands for five minutes, don’t mentally review for five minutes), then gradually increase that time as it becomes more manageable (push yourself also) 4. Engage in the present and continue what I was doing while not engaging in compulsion; take deep breathes; distract myself; do NOT engage with intrusive thought or try to sneak in a compulsion by asking if they’re rational or not 5. Do compulsion when you can’t wait anymore but set a limit on it (Wash hand three times INSTEAD of five times), then accept being uncomfortable and tolerating it Saying When I Have Intrusive Thought Thought about contamination: “Maybe I will get sick, maybe I won’t. I don’t know.” “Maybe that doorknob did have germs, maybe it doesn’t. It’s not an emergency.” “Everyone touches doorknobs. This is a compulsion. Not an emergency.” Thoughts about POCD “Maybe I am a bad person, maybe I’m not.” “I don’t have to believe this thought.” “I can observe this thought without having to label it as good or bad; it’s just a thought. I’m going to let it exist and not do anything.” Thoughts about general intrusive thoughts: “Hi intrusive thought!” “That’s so silly.” “Hmm, that’s something.” Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Sit with an intrusive thought without labeling it as good or bad Sit with an intrusive thought without trying to think about if it's true or not Sit with an intrusive thought without judging it, just let it be there Sit with an intrusive thought without engaging with it and move on Sit with an intrusive thought and don’t try to become more comfortable, be uncomfortable Don’t label is as moral or immoral, that’s attaching value, and you focus on it Don’t say “That thought is so wrong and disgusting!” even if it's with something ethically wrong; that’s attaching meaning. Just sit with it without judging. Don’t try to think about if it’s true or not; it’s a thought and that’s all it is and will ever be Don’t try to lessen the fact you’re uncomfortable, that comes naturally with tolerance Needing to Ruminate if Severely Triggered Set a time for twenty minutes, two times a day, then let yourself overthink, review, check, panic, cry, etc., for twenty minutes. Once the timer is off and your brain wants to go back to reviewing, doing compulsions, or checking, simply say “I need to wait until my second set time to do that.” If it wasn’t already resolved in those twenty minutes with whatever you did to “fix” it, then it can’t be resolved for extra hours ruminating with a fictional thought that holds no meaning. NEVER set an extra timer. For example: You only get three and you should only be working down to one a day, NEVER four. Distractions TV Childhood show Gameplay AVOID Tik Tok and shorts Video games Something that you have to think quickly (FPS, cooking game, etc.) Something with repetition (but stop if you get too into the rhythm your= thought start to drift) Avoid games that make you question morals Reading Fluff Avoid content that contains themes Physical Go for a run Lift something heavy a lot Go sit on swings Scream into pillow Punch something

@AnAnxiousPerson set a small timer to stop doing the compulsion is the best takeaway from ur list which I knew I gotta do and didn't get to do it.

@deadrotloop - It's one of my favorite tips! I use it all the time :) it makes the world of difference